1. Field of this Invention
The field of this invention relates to toasters and more particularly to a toaster that in addition to its primary use is designed for cutting, toasting and easier handling of bagels, muffins and other similar types of disc shaped foodstuffs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, there have been numerous designs for toasters. The most common form of toaster is for slices of bread. The common construction of a toaster for bread slices is that the bread slices enter the toaster through an opening in the top of the toaster, the bread slices are toasted and then the bread slices are ejected from that same opening usually operated by a timing device. The user then manually grasps the bread slices and removes them from the toaster to be consumed.
Within recent years, a type of bakery foodstuff is experiencing greater widespread usage, that foodstuff being bagels and muffins. Both bagels and muffins are denser than typical bread. When a bagel or muffin is toasted, this type of foodstuff retains the heat to a much greater extent than bread. This increases the possibility that upon a user grasping a toasted bagel or muffin from a conventional type of toaster, that the user can actually receive burns on his or her fingers. It would be desirable to design a toaster that also accommodated a bagel or muffin that eliminated the need for physically extracting of the toasted bread, bagel or muffin from the toaster prior to being consumed.
Additionally, bagels and muffins are usually desired to be sliced into two longitudinal halves prior to being toasted. This normally entails the user placing the bagel or muffin on a circumferential edge in an upright manner held by the user's hand, and directing a knife longitudinally through the bagel or muffin attempting to divide the bagel or muffin into two approximately equal halves. This type of cutting procedure is difficult for a great many people and has resulted in a large number of hand cuts. Also, it is not easy for any individual to precisely divide the bagel or muffin into the desired two equal parts. There is a need to incorporate a simplified and safe form of slicing device for a bagel or muffin in conjunction with a toaster that is designed additionally to accommodate bagels or muffins.